One by One

As another term starts, here's something to think about.

Multi-tasking really isn’t the most productive way to accomplish things.  That’s not just my observation (though it is—and through direct experience).  It’s also the observation from researchers.

But how can you break that compulsion?  Short of a 12-step program, blogger Tony Schwartz offers these tips in The Magic of Doing One Thing at a Time (an apt title if I’ve ever seen one).  

Here’s excerpts of his tips

For managers:

“Maintain meeting discipline. Schedule meetings for 45 minutes, rather than an hour or longer…Start all meetings at a precise time, end at a precise time, and insist that all digital devices be turned off throughout the meeting.
"Stop demanding or expecting instant responsiveness at every moment of the day. If it's urgent, you can call them — but that won't happen very often.
"Encourage renewal. Create at least one time during the day when you encourage your people to stop working and take a break. Offer a midafternoon class in yoga, or meditation, organize a group walk or workout, or consider creating a renewal room where people can relax, or take a nap.” 

For individuals, establish boundaries by:

1. “Do the most important thing first in the morning, preferably without interruption, for 60 to 90 minutes, with a clear start and stop time. If possible, work in a private space during this period, or with sound-reducing earphones. Finally, resist every impulse to distraction, knowing that you have a designated stopping point. The more absorbed you can get, the more productive you'll be. When you're done, take at least a few minutes to renew…
2. “Establish regular, scheduled times to think more long term, creatively, or strategically. If you don't, you'll constantly succumb to the tyranny of the urgent...
3. "Take real and regular vacations. “

To read the entire blog entry, visit http://blogs.hbr.org/schwartz/2012/03/the-magic-of-doing-one-thing-a.html.